Bottom disk for insulated beverage container

ABSTRACT

An insulator bottom disk of uniform size comprising a multi-sided prism with flat top and bottom surfaces that are parallel to each other, a lateral surface that alternates between angling inward and outward, and a small diameter, cylindrical-shaped hole through its geometric center. The insulator bottom disk of uniform size eliminates the need for: (i) manufacturing multiple sizes of insulator bottom disks, (ii) matching appropriately sized insulator bottom disks to insulator tubes and (iii) adhering insulator bottom disks to insulator tubes.

FIELD

The present invention relates in general to insulated beveragecontainers, and in particular to a uniform sized bottom disk for suchcontainers that eliminates the need for: (i) manufacturing multiplesizes of insulator bottom disks, (ii) matching appropriately sizedinsulator bottom disks to insulator tubes and (iii) adhering insulatorbottom disks to insulator tubes.

BACKGROUND

Insulated containers for beverage cans and bottles (“Insulators”) aremanufactured in various sizes and shapes. Insulators are often placedaround the outside of beverage containers in order to thermally insulatea hot or cold beverage and to allow a user to comfortably grasp thecontainer regardless of the temperature of the beverage and container.Insulators are typically manufactured in various sizes in order tospecifically fit beverage containers of a particular size and shape. Afew examples of Insulators are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,381,922;5,653,124; 4,577,474; 4,338,795; and 6,655,543 B2.

Insulators are generally tubular in shape with an open, circular top andclosed, circular bottom (FIG. 1). Insulators are typically comprised oftwo separate components: a tube 1 and a conventional bottom disk 2. Boththe tube 1 and the conventional bottom disk 2 are generally made out ofan insulating foam material such as, for example, foamed polystyrene.The tube 1 is typically a round cylinder that is open on both ends witha thickness 3 of approximately 3 to 12 millimeters. A conventionalbottom disk 2 is shaped as a round disk with a diameter 4 much greaterthan its width 5. A conventional bottom disk 2 is designed to fit intoeither of the open, circular ends of a tube 1. Placement of aconventional bottom disk 2 into one end of the tube 1 creates anInsulator with a generally closed, circular bottom and an open circulartop.

A conventional bottom disk 2 contains a small diameter,cylindrical-shaped hole through its geometric center (the “Center Hole”)6. The Center Hole 6 allows air to pass out of an Insulator when, forexample, a beverage container is placed into the Insulator and allowsair to enter an Insulator when a container is removed from theInsulator. This air movement assists the movement of a beveragecontainer into and out of an Insulator.

Tubes 1 are typically manufactured with one of several predeterminedinside diameters. The inside diameter of the tube 4 is typically chosento match a beverage container of a particular size and shape so that thecontainer will snugly slip inside the Insulator through its open,circular top. Similarly, conventional Insulator bottom disks aremanufactured so that the outside diameter of the bottom disk 4corresponds to the choice of inside diameter of the corresponding tubes4.

To assemble an Insulator, an appropriately-sized conventional bottomdisk 2 must be pressed into one of the open ends of the tube 1. Inaddition, a glue-based adhesive is necessary to adhere the bottom disk 2to the bottom of the tube 1. This assembly procedure is often cumbersomebecause of the difficulty in compressing the entire outer circumferenceof the bottom disk 2 at the same time so that it will fit into thebottom of the tube 1. Moreover, the glue-based adhesive will fail toadhere the bottom disk 2 to the entire bottom of the tube 1 unless aminimum amount of the adhesive is applied to the lateral surfaces of thebottom disk 2.

The manufacturing of conventional Insulator bottom disks of severalpredetermined outside diameters also has a number of disadvantages. Forexample, manufacturers must adjust machinery and input materials to makebottom disks 2 of different diameters, manage the inventory of thevarious disk bottom sizes, and match the various disk bottom sizes totube sizes in order to assemble Insulators. As a result, themanufacturing of conventional insulator bottom disks 2 of severalpredetermined outside diameters is both cumbersome and expensive. Thus,an insulator bottom disk of uniform size that will fit several tubediameters and is easy to assemble is desirable.

SUMMARY

The present invention provides an Insulator bottom disk of uniform sizethat eliminates the need for: (i) manufacturing multiple sizes ofinsulator bottom disks, (ii) matching appropriately sized Insulatorbottom disks to Insulator tubes and (iii) adhering Insulator bottomdisks to Insulator tubes. The bottom disk of the present invention has alateral surface that alternates between angling inward and outward. Thisangle variation of the lateral surface allows the present invention tofit several Insulator tube diameters. As a result, the present inventioncan be manufactured in a uniform size that fits multiple sizes ofInsulator tubes, is easy to assemble and has a reduced need for anadhesive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A better understanding of the present invention may be had by referenceto the drawing figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a bottom view of a beverage container insulator with aconventional bottom disk;

FIG. 2 is a top view of a schematic drawing of the preferred embodimentof the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of a beverage container insulator with aconventional bottom disk.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designateidentical or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and moreparticularly to FIG. 1, wherein a conventional bottom disk 2 ispartially pressed into a tube 1 to form the bottom of an Insulator. Boththe tube 1 and the conventional bottom disk 2 are comprised of aninsulating foam material. The tube 1 is a round cylinder with athickness 3 of approximately 4 to 15 millimeters, although greaterthicknesses may be used as well, and an inside diameter 4 that matchesthe outside diameter of the conventional bottom disk 2. The conventionalbottom disk 2 is shaped as a round disk with a diameter 4 much greaterthan its width 5. Every point on the edge of the lateral surface of theconventional bottom disk 7 is the same distance from the geometriccenter of the conventional bottom disk. The conventional bottom disk 2may also contain a small diameter, cylindrical-shaped hole through itsgeometric center 6.

As can be seen in FIG. 1, a portion of the conventional bottom diskbuckles upward where it has not been sufficiently pressed into the tube8. This buckled area 5 often results from the difficulty in compressingthe entire outer circumference of the bottom disk 7 at the same time sothat it will fit into the bottom of the tube 1.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the preferred embodiment of the presentinvention is an insulator bottom disk having top and bottom surfaces areparallel to one another. The disk is generally round with one or morecutouts removed from the disk at the outer edge of the disk. Morespecifically, the present invention has a lateral surface thatalternates between angling inward 9, 10, 11, and 12 and angling outward13, 14, 15 and 16 such that points on the lateral surface area thatangle inward 18 are closer to the geometric center of the bottom disk 6than points on the lateral surface area that angle outward 17. Also, thelateral surface alternates between angling inward and outward such thatthe lateral surface area that angles outward is adjacent to two lateralsurface areas that angle inward and a lateral surface area that anglesinward is adjacent to two lateral surface areas that angle outward.

FIG. 2 shows the present invention with a lateral surface that anglesinward in four places 9, 10, 11 and 12 and angles outward in four places13, 14, 16 and 16. Alternatively, however, the lateral surface of thepresent invention may angle inward or outward in more or less than fourplaces. In addition, even though FIG. 2 shows the angle variation in thelateral surface to be smoothly curved inward and outward, the anglevariation may alternatively include discrete angle changes. The presentinvention may be formed out of an insulating material, including aflexible insulating material.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the present invention is designed to fit intoeither of the open, circular ends of an Insulator tube. Placement of thebottom disk into one end of the tube creates an Insulator with a closed,circular bottom and an open circular top (FIG. 3). Like a conventionalbottom disk 2, the present invention contains a Center Hole through itsgeometric center 6 although such a hole is not an integral part of thepresent invention. The present invention allows for additional openingsin an Insulator's bottom where the invention's lateral surface areaangles inward 9, 10, 11, and 12. These additional openings furtherassist movement of a beverage container into and out of an Insulator byallowing air to pass out of the Insulator when a container is placedinto the Insulator and allowing air to enter the Insulator when acontainer is removed from the Insulator. In those cases where the CenterHole is present, this air movement through the openings is in additionto the air movement through the Center Hole 6. As a result, a beveragecontainer can more easily be placed into or taken out of an Insulatorwith the present invention as its bottom than with a conventional bottomdisk as its bottom.

Unlike a conventional bottom disk 2, the present invention fits tubes 8with different inside diameters. In the preferred embodiment, only theoutward angled sides 13, 14, 15, and 16 must be compressed to allow thepresent invention to fit into one of the open ends of a tube 1. As theoutward angled sides 13, 14, 15, and 16 are compressed, the inwardangled sides 9, 10, 11, and 12 will contract slightly. This contractionof the inward angled sides prevents the creation of shear stresses thatare created through the compression of the entire outer circumference ofa conventional bottom disk 7. As a result, the present invention fitsinto multiple sized tubes 8 through the simple application of differentamounts of pressure to the outward angled sides. In addition, thepresent invention fits more securely into a tube bottom than aconventional bottom disk 2 without buckling.

In the present invention, only the lateral surface areas that angleoutward contact the tube wall when the present invention is pressed intothe tube bottom to create an Insulator. For this reason, the area ofcontact between the present invention and the tube 1 is less than thearea of contact between a conventional bottom disk 2 and the tube 1.This reduction in contact area reduces the amount of glue-based adhesivethat is needed to adhere the present invention to a tube. At the sametime, the need for a glue-based adhesive is further reduced, oreliminated, by the fact that the present invention fits more securelyinto a tube bottom than a conventional bottom disk 2 due to shear stressreduction.

The manufacturing and assembly of Insulators with the present inventionhas a number of advantages over the manufacturing and assembly ofInsulators with conventional disk bottoms. For example, with the presentinvention, manufacturers do not have to adjust machinery or adjust inputmaterials to make bottom disks of different diameters, manage theinventory of the various bottom disk sizes, and match the various bottomdisk sizes to tube sizes in order to assemble Insulators. As a result,the manufacturing and assembly of Insulators with the present inventionis less cumbersome and less expensive than with conventional bottomdisks 2.

Numerous modifications and variations of the present invention arepossible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore understoodthat within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may bepracticed otherwise than as specifically described herein. Inparticular, it is understood that the present invention may be practicedby adoption of aspects of the present invention without adoption of theinvention as a whole.

1. A bottom disk for an insulated beverage container, comprising: a diskhaving a top surface, a bottom surface and a lateral surface, whereinsaid lateral surface alternates between angling toward the center axisof said disk and angling away from said center axis of said disk.
 2. Thedisk of claim 1, wherein said disk is formed from an insulatingmaterial.
 3. The disk of claim 1, wherein said disk is between 3millimeters and 12 millimeters in thickness.
 4. The disk of claim 1,wherein said disk includes a hole along said center axis.
 5. A bottomdisk for an insulated beverage container, comprising: a disk having atop surface and a bottom surface, wherein said top surface and saidbottom surface are parallel to one another and are generally circular inshape around a center axis, said disk further having a lateral surfacearound the circumference of said center axis wherein said lateralsurface alternates between angling toward the center axis of said diskand angling away from said center axis of said disk.
 6. The disk ofclaim 5, wherein said disk is formed from an insulating material.
 7. Thedisk of claim 5, wherein said disk is between 3 millimeters and 12millimeters in thickness.
 8. The disk of claim 5, wherein said diskincludes a hole along said center axis.
 9. A bottom disk for aninsulated beverage container, comprising: a disk having a top surfaceand a similarly shaped bottom surface, wherein said top surface and saidbottom surface are located in parallel planes and are generallycircumscribed around a central axis, said disk further having a lateralsurface located between the outermost circumference of said top surfaceand the outermost circumference of said bottom surface, wherein saidlateral surface alternates between angling toward the center axis ofsaid disk and angling away from said center axis of said disk.
 10. Thedisk of claim 9, wherein said disk is formed from an insulatingmaterial.
 11. The disk of claim 9, wherein said disk is between 3millimeters and 12 millimeters in thickness.
 12. The disk of claim 9,wherein said disk includes a hole along said center axis.
 13. Aninsulated beverage container, comprising: a disk having a top surface, abottom surface and a lateral surface, wherein said lateral surfacealternates between angling toward the center axis of said disk andangling away from said center axis of said disk, and a tube coupled withsaid disk.
 14. The disk of claim 13, wherein said disk is formed from aninsulating material.
 15. The disk of claim 13, wherein said disk isbetween 3 millimeters and 12 millimeters in thickness.
 16. The disk ofclaim 13, wherein said disk includes a hole along said center axis. 17.An insulated beverage container, comprising: a disk having a top surfaceand a bottom surface, wherein said top surface and said bottom surfaceare parallel to one another and are generally circular in shape around acenter axis, said disk further having a lateral surface around thecircumference of said center axis wherein said lateral surfacealternates between angling toward the center axis of said disk andangling away from said center axis of said disk, and a tube coupled withsaid disk.
 18. The disk of claim 17, wherein said disk is formed from aninsulating material.
 19. The disk of claim 17, wherein said disk isbetween 3 millimeters and 12 millimeters in thickness.
 20. The disk ofclaim 17, wherein said disk includes a hole along said center axis. 21.An insulated beverage container, comprising: a disk having a top surfaceand a similarly shaped bottom surface, wherein said top surface and saidbottom surface are located in parallel planes and are generallycircumscribed around a central axis, said disk further having a lateralsurface located between the outermost circumference of said top surfaceand the outermost circumference of said bottom surface, wherein saidlateral surface alternates between angling toward the center axis ofsaid disk and angling away from said center axis of said disk, and atube coupled with said disk.
 22. The disk of claim 21, wherein said diskis formed from an insulating material.
 23. The disk of claim 21, whereinsaid disk is between 3 millimeters and 12 millimeters in thickness. 24.The disk of claim 21, wherein said disk includes a hole along saidcenter axis.